Heath Groundsel - Senecio sylvaticus

Reaching up to 70 cm in height, yellowish green hairy plant, not sticky. Stems erect, slender and grooved. Leaves slightly hairy. Flowerheads bright yellow 5 to 6 mm with 8 to 15 short rays, which soon become recurved, are borne in a fairly large, terminal flat topped cluster.

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)

With glandular hairs, but not sticky; common groundsel does not have glandular hairs.  Involucre (the collection of bracts under the florets) usually looks slightly conical, not cylindrical

Good photos of the inflorescence showing the shape of the flowers and the bracts, the upper and lower stems leaves, and a photo of the whole plant to show the profuse branching are needed.

Shady places open woodland and woodland margins, shady hedge banks and disturbed ground.

July to September.

Annual.

Found throughout Britain, but usually local in its distribution. It is rather scarce in west Scotland.

Infrequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 46 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current checklist (Jeeves 2011) is is described as Native; heath-grassland and open woodland on acid soils; occasional